October 2024 - Jason's Pressed Seasonal Squash with Whipped Feta, Beetroot, Crispy Sage, Pinenuts and Pumpkin Seeds

Serves 4-6 as a Starter

Ingredients

Pressed Squash:

1kg Mixed Squash

1 Red Chilli

2 Cloves Garlic

1 Sprig Thyme

100ml Veg Stock

Salt

Pepper

Olive oil

Beetroot Puree:

200g Raw Beetroot

1 tblspon Oil

1 tblspon Vinegar

1 tblspon Honey

Whipped Feta:

100g Feta Cheese

1 tblspn Greek yogurt

1 tblspn Olive Oil

Crispy Sage:

20 Fresh Sage Leaves

Olive oil

Garnish:

5g Pinenuts

5g Pumpkin Seeds

5g Sourdough Breadcrumbs

Fresh Sprigs mixed Micro Herbs

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Method

1. 1. 24 hours ahead of serving, preheat the oven to 150°C, then peel and thinly slice the squash and add to a large bowl.

2. De-seed and finely chop the chilli, garlic and thyme and add to the squash bowl, before pouring the veg stock in with a pinch of salt and a twist of black pepper. Mix well and leave to stand for a few minutes.

3. Brush an ovenproof shallow tin or dish with a little olive oil, then carefully layer the slices of squash in the tin, slowly building to a thickness of about 2cm. Press down on the layers with a second slightly smaller but similarly shaped tin to make a dense, but evenly spread mass, then cover with foil and bake for around 1 hour and 20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, peel and dice the beetroot and steam for 45 minutes, or until very soft to the point of falling apart.

5. Remove from the steamer and add to a blender with the olive oil, honey and sherry vinegar, then blend until silky smooth. Remove from the blender and spoon into a piping bag, then chill the mix until ready to serve.

6. Check the Squash with a skewer - there should be very little resistance and most of the stock should have been absorbed. Assuming this is the case, re-cover the surface of the squash with foil and press with a tin which fits onto the surface of the squash. Weight the top tin and refrigerate for 24 hours

7. Put the feta, yogurt and olive oil into a clean blender and whip until smooth. Transfer to a piping bag, then chill the whipped feta until ready to serve.

8. On the day of serving, turn the pressed squash out onto a chopping board and cut into neat cubes, then return them to the fridge.

9. Put a dry, heavy based pan on a low heat, then add the breadcrumbs, Pumpkin seeds and pine nuts and toast gently until lightly golden, then decant into a clean bowl until ready to serve.

10. Keep the pan on a low heat and add a thin covering of olive oil. When hot, fry the sage leaves until crisp, then remove from the oil and place on kitchen paper.

11. Keep the pan on a low heat with the sage infused oil, and gently fry the cubes of pressed squash until crisp and golden on all sides.

12. Assemble the dish by dividing the cubes between each plate, followed by neat dots of the feta and beetroot. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mix on the plate and top each cube of pressed squash with a crispy sage leaf, before finishing with a few drops of olive oil and sprigs of micro herbs.

13. Enjoy!